Cover of Coco Montoya I hadn’t been to any indoor live music concerts in quite awhile – something I really enjoyed back in my college years. So, when the opportunity to see Coco Montoya at the Performing Arts Center at Third Street (PAC3) theater in Carbondale, Co. arose, I thought it might be fun to relive my concert-going days.
I had never been to the PAC3 and was interested to find out what it was like, and although I recognized the name, Coco Montoya, I did not know what kind of music he played – I was curious. When I found out he played the Blues (one of my favorite musical genres) and that he had once been the guitarist for John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers (a band which at various times featured Eric Clapton and Mick Taylor), I was excited to see the show.
As soon as we entered the PAC3, which I learned hosts not only concerts but special events, non-profit functions, and other community affairs as well, I was immediately taken in by its intimate, but professional ambience.
It was considerably smaller than the live music oriented 32 night clubs I occasionally visited while attending the University of Denver in the 1980’s, but the dim, comfortable lighting, large stage, lively bar, and friendly staff brought back fond memories of going to clubs like “After the Fox” to dance and listen to live music.
I looked around the crowd of about 150 people and even though they were, well, older than the After the Fox crowd I remembered (actually, it was probably the “same” crowd, just 50ish now and a LITTLE bit more subdued), the excitement and the energy were reminiscent of the concerts I used to enjoy frequently.
We hadn’t been there for long when the band hit the stage running, diving right in with an energetic tune featuring Coco Montoya himself on guitar (played left-handed and upside-down) and vocals.
With a voice that reminded me of Robert Cray and a “shimmery” guitar style revealing a tasteful mix of both smooth and aggressive influences, Coco entertained the lively crowd with energy and emotion. One couldn’t help but want to dance – and we did! A couple times I even caught myself drifting off to those college days concerts in Denver.
Coco gracefully blended one song after another into the next and the show was highlighted by a sentimental tribute to an old friend, and a fiery encore of the title track on his latest release, “I Want It All Back” -- The title seemed eerily appropriate. Just like days gone by, we kept dancing, not wanting it to end.
After the encore, as and the band left the stage for real, I became aware of my tired legs and aching feet, but I was happy and carefree. I realized that I may no longer be 19 years old, but I still enjoy live music and dancing at concerts -- at the PAC3 theater in Carbondale, Co., at least for a few hours, I got it all back.
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